Cardiff City Winning on the Big Match from 30 Years Ago

... and hate to admnit it but I was there!

46,000 Sunderland fans baying their side onto promotion and a few hundred dispirited Cardiff fans praying we'd get a result and stay up ... and, miracle of miracles, we won and stayed up, they lost and missed out. They weren't happy afterwards, I can tell you.

Against all odds, we won 2-1 - such a shock that even Ronnie Moore scored! However we went for it going out with 4 strikers - Tony Evans, Ray Bishop. Gary "Basil" Stevens and Moore looking at this footage.

Fast forward to 37 minutes to see City.

What's On? Could it be Watson?

A couple of sources have today linked Cardiff City with a season long loan move for Wigan midfielder Ben Watson with a view to a permanent deal. One national daily claims on its website that the deal is 'on the verge' of being completed.


Watson, still only 23, would be an excellent addition to City's squad as he's an energetic box to box goalscoring and contributing midfielder. Riased through the youth system at Cystal Palace, he was dubbed the "Peckham Beckham" with his set pieces and general play.

18 goals in 145 league starts bring plenty of admiriers and he joined Premiership Wigan Athletic for a cool £2M in January making an instant impact crowned by winners against Sunderland and Hull.

However the arrival of ex-Swansea boss Roberto Martinez and his influx of mainly foreign players has seen him pushed out of facour so club and player are looking for a move.

However I wouldn't get excited or hold your breath - rumour has it that Premiership Portsmouth and fellow Championship side Ipswich are both monitoring developments and favurong paying to buy the player now for a £1.5M deal.

Striking Matters - Chops signs for Cardiff while McCormack signs extension

Being July 1st, Cardiff City and Michael Chopra were today able to conclude his permanent transfer to the club from Sunderland, a move agreed back in March.

The reported fee is £3M which si £2M less than the amount Cardiff first sold him to the Black Cats for in 2007.

Chops had a bittersweet time with the Black Cats. He scored a winner against Spurs on his debut and enjoyed a goal every 3 games record but his appearences were infrequent, often from the bench and regularly out of position from a central striker role. Off the pitch, Chops suffered marital, drinking and gambling problems. It was against this background that Peter Ridsdale was able to get himm back in two loan spells last term and now permanently.

Although a record signing for City, smashing the £1.7M paid for Peter Thorne some years ago, City fans are hardly celebrating. Chops, clearly nursing injuries and suffering with his personal life, looked far from the player who was feted by Bluebird fans in his first spell at the club. We can only hope he has benefitted from summer rest and the upcoming pre-season.


Meatime, Ross McCormack today signed a double your money new 4 year contract with Cardiff City. The player is ambitious and wants Premiership football after a starring first season at Ninian Park and for his beloeved Scotland too. However with no bids to date, he is set to remain at the club presently so may as well be better paid while the new deal helps City get the right price if and when he is sold on.

Player links to Cardiff City hot up

With Roger Johnson gone, more players set to go and 7 new faces promised, paper talk is hotting up. Here's a quick round up of the latest mutterings for what it's worth since newspaper gossip very rarely equals reality.


OUTGOING
Rumours are circulating that left back Tony Capaldi with link with his ex-Plymouth boss Ian Holloway at Blackpool if they can find the package to match his handsome City package. Holloway briefly tried to take him for Leciester City when he was their manager too.

Premiership suitors are playing a waiting game for Joe Ledley, obviously hoping to get him for a last minute cut price deal after City declined £6M bids for him in January and now find they have a player who can leave for nothing out of contract next season. Arsenal, who have watched him many times, are being linked to him but there's a queue including Spurs, Everton, Stoke, West Ham who have expressed interest but have done nothing to date.

Dave Jones is also willing to offload Paul Parry, Miguel Comminges, Warren Feeney (forgot we still had him after his 2 seasons in Scotland but Norwich are rumoured to be in for him) and maybe Peter Whittingham too while they are willing to listen t offersd for Ross McCormack to raise more funds even though he is set to sign an extended deal.

THOSE LINKED TO CITY
An ever lengthening list includes defenders Paul Quinn (Motherwell), Damien Delaney of QPR who we are rumoured to be competing with Ipswich at around £1M package deal (a price that would seem to rule out any move by City) and another QPR man in Latvian defender Kaspar Gorkss. Another paper link is Millwall defender Zak Whitbread.


With two centre halves required, the names mentioned in dispatches to date are ex-City man James Collins (I don't see him dropping out of the Premiership), a loan move for Manchester United's promising Craig Cathcart who spent time last season at Plymouth and Birmingham City's Liam Ridgewell whose place there is in jeorpardy with the arrival of three new centre halves including Roger Johnson of course.


Cardiff City's midfield engine room has misfired and lack goals for a couple of years and, to me, seem an important area of the side to get right. Links so far are uninspriring. Misfit Liam Miller, a player of talent but who throws it away with poor attitude, is linked but if he wasn't afraid of Roy Keane at Sunderland (who threw him out of the club after continally being late), what chance has Dave Jones got with the 27 year old? Others have been mentioned in dispatches, all with unremarkable goal contributions to the cause. Mayeb it's just me but I thought Charlton's Nicky Bailey or Chinese midfielder could do tremendous jobs for us.


Up front, it's hard to remember Michael Chopra becomes a permanent signing next week for £4M from Sunderland. Fans hold their breath he can rediscover his form, fitness and goals which were all missing in his end of last season loan with us. Eddie Johnson has returned, Ross McCormack appears set to stay but another forward is needed regardless yet the only name linked to date, Motherwell's Dave Clarkson, appears to be on his way Bristol City with Cardiff reportedly declining to follow up initial interest as his price tag has increased to circa £750,000.


More of this silliness over the next few days but, hopefully, we will finally see activity in Cardiff's Arrivals Lounge.

Leading Bluebirds linked to Prem clubs, little inbound links to date

It's the silly season and newspapers are falling over themselves with transfer speculation - it'd just be too much hassle to reproduce them but here's a key summary.

JOE LEDLEY - seems to be linked with half the Premiership. At last count, it was Everton, Spurs, West Ham, Snderland, Stoke and Wolves. I may well have missed someone. However contract talks are dead with Joe so, with a year to go on his existing deal, it's only a matter of time before he ends up elsewhere. The figures being banded are all in the £5M-£6M range.

ROGER JOHNSON - Roger has a couple of years left on his City deal but having declined Premiership bids for him in January, it would be tough to do so again when the player believes it is time for him to make his move to that level. Strongest link so far is Portsmouth but Sunderland, Middlesbrough (if they survive which looks unlikely) and Wolves are mentioned in despatches too. Figures of £3M have been mentioned but surely he is worth more than that?

ROSS McCORMACK - Ross has commented that he wishes to stay in public but, in private, with his faincee believed to be unsettled in the area and Premiership clubs showing reported interest in him while he is also being mishandled by Dave Jones who has shifted him wide or out of the side to accomodate a disappointing (to date) Michael Chopra, it may be a different story. West Ham and Wigan are linked with the player. Figures of upt £5M would be outstanding business for a player who cost City only £200K last summer.



The one name being linked to the club is former centre-half JAMES COLLINS. No news of whether it is loan or permanent, whether it would be part of a deal with a City star moving the other way or whether a player who has previously declined a return and may still feel he belongs to the Premiership would be interested if it is a possibility. He's clearly seen as a replacement for Roger Johnson if/when RJ leaves but he also stuggles with fitness and injuries - can City's perennial small squad afford the gamble?

Sunderland Scouting Ledley

Tonight's Newcastle Chronicle newspaper is reporting that Sunderland are hot on the trail of Cardiff City man Joe Ledley and that The Black Cats boss, Ricky Sbragia, will be at Millennium Stadium on Wednesday night to check on Joe playing against Germany in what is now more a friendly than a World Cup qualifier.

Sunderland's troubles before the last transfer window with Roy Keane leaving the club and Sbragia in a caretaker role leaves them playing catch up this summer and they are keen to line up their targets now with Sbragia commenting that, "I had only been in the job a few weeks and had to switch from a situation where I was the coach, looking after the first team, to a manager looking at every other aspect of the club. I had very little time to prepare for the January window, but we didn’t do too bad. We got in Calum Davenport and Tal Ben-Haim but the main aim was about getting players out in order to foster a better team spirit. The next transfer window will be different though."


One of those players he moved out was Michael Chopra with his permanent switch to Cardiff City being cemented this summer and you do have to wonder if Joe going in the opposite direction is one way of funding the deal.


City fans of course will hope Joe stays and this could only signify Premiership football has been attained but with Joe having just 1 year left on his current Bluebirds contract and not keen to sign another unless City get promoted, it is a foregone conclusion he will leave in summer should City fail in the promotion bid via automatics or play-offs.

Chops on the PFA website

What's that coming over the hill ... for a third time ... it's Michael Chopra!

(Pic - Chops on the day he first left City for Sunderland - but now he's back)

And he's been talking to the PFA about his return and his time with The Black Cats.

You can read the interview via the link below:

http://www.givemefootball.com/championship/michael-chopra-cardiff-city

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Chops Sticks with City and gives his 1st interview

Chops gives his first interview, to Wales Online, after becoming a Cardiff City player for the third time on re-joining the Bluebirds from Sunderland on transfer deadline day.

In it, he pledges to help City get to the Premiership and he talks of finshing the season as City's top scorer which is highly ambitious considering he's currently 12 goals behind Ross McCormack.

Read the various articles via the links below:

Michael Chopra's Premier pledge to Cardiff fans

Michael Chopra is aiming to shoot Cardiff City into Premier

• Exclusive: Michael Chopra talks to WalesOnline

'Ello, 'ello Chops is back ... and he's staying too for mega-millions!

INCREDIBLE NEWS as it was announced that Cardiff City have signed MICHAEL CHOPRA with the deal confirmed just 55 seconds before the transfer window closed for a potential club record fee of £4M.

City have signed the player on loan for the rest of this season with Chops signing permanently for a further 3 years for £4M this summer, smashing the previous record of £1.75M for Peter Thorne. It does beg the question who are we selling this summer to pay for it should City not make the Premier League but we'll worry about that if it happens.

For City to hold onto every player in the January window and bring in Quincy, Burke and Chopra is outstanding business and ambition by the club.

NEWS STORIES

Bluebirds complete Chopra signing

Michael Chopra signs for Cardiff City

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City launch fresh bid for Chops

It's transfer deadline today. Peter Ridsdale has said nobody will be leaving Cardiff City now and the players have been informed as they make a bold and determined bid for the Premiership. Meanwhile, according to The Indy, we've made a bid to buy Michael Chopra after the Newcastle-Sunderland match yesterday which is being considered.

Chopra may wing it back to Wales

By Michael Walker

Cardiff City have shown renewed interest in bringing Sunderland's Michael Chopra back to Ninian Park following yesterday's drawn Tyne-Wear derby in which Chopra was a substitute, replacing scorer Djibril Cissé. Cardiff are understood to have made a fresh bid for the 25-year-old after the game. Chopra spent a season with Cardiff in 2006, as well as scoring five goals in 11 matches during a loan spell earlier this campaign, and if the bid is acceptable Sunderland are expected to sell.

Routledge may sign tomorrow but there will be no bid for Chopra

Peter Ridsdale believes Cardiff City have made good progress in their bid for the permanent signing of Wayne Routledge from Aston Villa and that a deal is tantalisingly close.

Aston Villa have accepted City's bid, believed to be around £300,000, and allowed the club to talk to the lightning fast, tricky crowd favourite who has made a massive impact at Ninian Park and whom many fans believe will be a more important capture for the club than returning loan hero Michael Chopra.

Routledge himself has previously indicated he would love to stay with The Bluebirds but a distraction remains in the form of Championship rivals QPR who have more money to burn than City and are believed to be willing to pay Routledge more than he earns with his Premiership club.

City are expecting an answer from the player tomorrow and would dearly like to tie up a deal fast also enabling Routs to be available for the F.A. Cup campaign which starts 24 hours later.

Meanwhile, Dave Jones has apparently ruled out City making a bid for Michael Chopra who would love to stay on at City. Chops has been recalled by Sunderland who have problems of their own. It is believed they may be interested in selling the player to raise cash but Cardiff cannot meet the demands at present. Instead, they hope to get Chopra on loan for the rest of the season and agree to sign him permanently if promoted this summer so it is at an impasse.

City all bar admit defeat over Chopra

In a statement last night on the official Cardiff City website (http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/), the club confirm that Sunderland wish the player to return to the club.

City add, "We would like to thank Michael for the last two months and wish him all the best on his return to Sunderland".

That appears to be the end of the matter for now. It will be a blow not having Chops about although Ross McCormack is now available again after his hamstring problems. However Dave Jones was determined to keep Chopra in the squad anyway so it remains to be seen whether the club move for another forward or even try once more to get Chops.

Good Luck Chops.

Sunderland: Come back Chops, your time in Cardiff is up

Chops: About to wear red and white stripes again?

Seems like it is, sadly

Hopes of Michael Chopra remaining at Ninian Park on extended loan or permanent deal appear to be over after Sunderland released a statement on their official website confirming new Black Cats boss Ricky Spragia wants him back at the Stadium of Light and has asked him to report back on Wednesday.

Sunderland statement: http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=16517


It dashes City fans being excited in the morning press as Michael Chopra told the South Wales Echo of his desire to remain with Cardiff City, that he had expressed his wishes to Peter Ridsdale and Dave Jones who were keen to do a deal and would speak with his North East employers.

Wales Online story: Chopra: I want to stay for the Premier dream

However, Sunderland crashed to a poor defeat at Everton yesterday with Spragia particularly critical of his front pairing in that game and they hover just above the relegation zone so it's easy to understand that he may wish to have as many options as possible.

Chops has loved his time back at Cardiff and his comments won't go down well with Sunderland fans but, in truth, he has been hit and miss. 5 goals in 11 games is a great return but 3 were penalties and he hasn't impressed as he used to overall. However his presence has coincided with City's recent rise and there's no question that Chops has been pivotal to that. I still hope it can be sorted but, right now, that hope is forlorn.

The 'What next?" Routledge and Chopra saga continues

As bored journos look to get any story or rumour published ahead of the January transfer window, it should surprise nobody that today's News of the World contradicts yesterday's Sky Sports claims over Wayne Routledge.





The Sunday paper claims City are ready to seal a deal with Aston Villa, the player has turned down QPR and wishes to join The Bluebirds and the deal looks likely to occur. No doubt, we'll hear something different soon.

The picture just as muddy over Michael Chopra. It is the final game of his loan spell today but News of the World state that Sunderland, despite confiriming Ricky Spraggia as Roy Keane's managerial replacement in the past 48 hours, still wish to offload him anyway. There were fears that the Black Cats would recall him but it paves the way for a new loan or a permanent deal ... it also means there could be an auction for him though.





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New Blow as McCormack out for another 3 weeks

Having just returned to the side after a 3 week absence due to hamstring injury, Cardiff City's leading scorer Ross McCormack faces a further absence for the same time following recurrence of that problem last weekend facing Preston.

It is a blow to player and club although, of course, City are adequately covered with Michael Chopra on-loan while McCormack had to play wide left midfield in the past couple of games. Chops is due to return to Sunderland at the end of the month so City need to make sure SuperMac only returns this time when fully fit and ready.

Chops ready for Sat but will he now be here next month?

It's been an interesting week for returning loanee and Cardiff City icon Michael Chopra. That pulsating up and down 2-2 draw at Swansea saw Chops win a penalty but then depart moments afterwards.

City fans initially thought he was sacrificed in a reshuffle after Steve McPhail's red card but Michael was suffering an ankle/heal injury. He returned to the North East for intensive treatment and returned to training yesterday and was, pleasingly, passed fit for tomorrow's key encounter with Preston North End.

However as he arrived back in South Wales, news emerged from Sunderland that manager Roy Keane had resigned which is set to impact on City's chances of keeping the player on loan for the season after his current spell finishes at New Year or buying him.

Keane has been feeling the heat with Sunderland on a losing run, criticism from fans, a number of seemingly poor highly priced signings and talk of losing the changing room - perhaps emphasised by his mega 46 (!!) man squad which currently includes 13 of them on loan, Chops included.

Dave Jones had been quietly confident of extending the loan deal or signing the player if, as many feel, Joe Ledley is sold for big money next month but with an imminent new manager, Chops a natural scorer whose loan to Cardiff was bemoaned by many Black Cats followers, will the door soon be closing?

Chops has 6 games of his loan remaining, hopefully he'll bag us goals and points in those whatever happens.

WHAT CHOPRA OFFERS THE CITY

Here's the goals for Cardiff City that nspired aRoy Keane and Sunderland to pay £5M for Michael Chopra ... and gave Dave Jones all the motivation to bring him back on loan.

Chopra's coming back 'home' to Cardiff City senasation

The Echo discuss the background to an amazing loan move just breaking.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/videos-and-pics/audio/2008/11/05/michael-chopra-rejoins-cardiff-city-91466-22193065/

CHOPRA SET TO LEAVE SUNDERLAND FOR CITY or QPR

Chops Away ... and back in a City shirt soon???

What a twist if morning newspaper speculation is true. It would seem that Cardiff City demi-god is set to leave Sunderland on loan for a Championship club and the choice may be boliling down to ourselves or weekend opponents QPR.

Chops is privately believed to be desparate to return to Cardiff City where he enjoyed the best times of his footballing life and, indeed, City have previously tried two or three times to facilitate that but been declined by Roy Keane and the Black Cats. However he has dropped down the order and wasn't even in the Sunderland squad last weekend making a loan seem more possible.

However, the question is whether City have the muscle and clout to make a deal. His wages would not be cheap, there may even be a loan fee and if moneybags QPR are also sniffing, City would have to make a significant investment.

We can only wait and hope but it would truly grate if City have to go to QPR on Saturday with Paul Parry and Eddie Johnson up front plus kid Jon Brown in reserve facing a Rnagers team with Chopra added to it.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/11/05/michael-chopra-set-to-exit-sunderland-for-championship-loan-spell-115875-20871091/

CHOPRA - A door closes that just wasn't open

Chops Has The Claps

(as if he hasn't enough personal problems!)

If anyone gave it thought, they - like this blog last week - never really thought Cardiff City had a chance of getting Michael Chopra back to the club on loan.

The weekend's Sunderland Echo put any fleeting thoughts to rest and included a telling quote by Black Cats boss Roy Keane, "Nice try, but Michael isn't leaving.". However it is a quote which suggests someone, probably Cardiff City from private whispers that came my way, did indeed make an approach.

Quinn rubbishes Chopra loan talk - Sunderland Echo

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